Topic: How To Invest

Q: I am looking for your thoughts on whether to buy PPG Industries. I have followed your sound advice for a long time. Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: PPG Industries Inc., $127.77, symbol PPG on New York (Shares outstanding: 235.0 million; Market cap: $30.0 billion; Manufacturing sector; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.ppg.com), is the world’s largest producer of coatings and paints for the automotive, aerospace, construction, and industrial markets. Its paint brands include PPG, Olympic, Glidden and others. PPG’s sales and earnings have risen slowly in recent years, although the pandemic did disrupt that steady growth in 2020. The company’s revenue rose 2.7%, from $14.75 billion in 2017 to $15.15 billion in 2019. Sales then fell 8.7% to $13.83 billion in 2020 as business closures due to COVID-19 hurt demand for PPG’s products. Revenue then rebounded 21.5% in 2021, to $16.80 billion. Between 2017 and 2019, earnings per share rose 6.0%, from $5.87 to $6.22. Per-share earnings then fell 8.4% in 2020 to $5.70. In 2021, earnings per share rebounded 18.8%, to $6.77. In the quarter ended June 30, 2022, PPG’s revenue rose 7.6%, to a record $4.69 billion from $4.36 billion…